Ten years ago this month, I
wrote a story for Discover Ohio Magazine about 10 haunted places in Ohio. These
are the sites I profiled. Have fun, ghost hunters.
Twin City Opera House
(McConnelsville)
The stage
floor of the Twin City Opera House (formerly known as The
McConnelsville Opera House) used to have trap doors that led to an underground
dressing room, allowing performers to leave the building unseen. Its tunnels
linked to other places in the village, and were said to have helped conceal
slaves who fled the South during the Civil War. They say one of the building’s ghosts is the spirit of Everitt Miller, who ushered there for more than 30
years. Known for his crisp white suits, he still apparently hovers over
the aisles of his beloved hall. Dozens of people have reported seeing the
“man in white.”
Courtesy of Lost & Found Ohio.
Lafayette Hotel (Marietta)
Another
spirit that allegedly still likes to stick around is that of S. Durward Hoag, former
owner of the Lafayette Hotel. Overlooking the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, the
hotel is said to have a “phantom elevator” that ascends and descends on its
own, a possessed light bulb in the Gun Room restaurant, and
coffee cups with a mind of their own. Several employees admitted having paranormal experiences on the third floor.
Courtesy of Hidden Marietta.
Fulton County Historical Museum (Wauseon)
The Fulton County Historical Musuem was both a high school and hospital back in the day, and psychics like contacting its young ghost “Little Johnny White.” A past curator said that Johnny once
removed all of the Christmas tree ornaments and lined them up on the
floor, one by one. Several people who grew up in the area claimed to see the
spirit of an elderly woman clad in Victorian garb glaring at them from an
upstairs window. Even though the building doesn’t allow smoking or display
fresh flowers, some visitors have reported pungent smells of fresh bouquets and
pipe tobacco.
Courtesy of Fulton County Historical Museum.
Wilson Hall, Ohio University (Athens)
Athens has been called the most haunted
place in Ohio. Its surrounding hills are peppered with family
cemeteries, including Simms, Hanning, Cuckler, Higgins, and Zion, which are
said to form a pentagon. According to pagan beliefs, a pentagon
offers a protective force, the center of which is exempt from any paranormal activity.
Wilson Hall in Ohio University’s West Green is supposedly the center of the pentagon.
Courtesy of Ohio University.
Hammel House Inn (Waynesville)
Built
atop a prehistoric Indian burial ground, Waynesville is “The Antiques Capital
of the Midwest” and host of the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival. But the Hammel House
Inn was more than just a friendly stagecoach stop. As legend has it, the
innkeeper killed a young traveling salesman in 1823 while he slept and
stole gold coins from his saddlebag. The victim’s body is believed to be buried
on site, and some guests have claimed to see a wispy white figure lurking on
the stairway, flicking the basement storeroom lights.
Courtesy of Museum at the Friends Home.
Memorial Hall (Dayton)
Memorial Hall is a Civil War monument that once
housed the Dayton Philharmonic. More than 50 years ago, a stagehand fell into the orchestra pit
and died. According to reports, he’s still lingering and has been
linked to tales of cold bursts of air, flushing
toilets, errant spotlights, and flickering stage lights.
Courtesy of route40.net.
Squire’s Castle (Cleveland)
A
red light allegedly shines at Squire’s Castle in the North Chagrin Reservation. This
mini castle was built by oil pioneer Feargus B. Squire at the turn of the 20th
century. As the story goes, Squire’s wife developed a nasty bout of insomnia. One
night during a bout of sleeplessness, she suffered a fatal fall on her way to
the basement library. Even though
the basement has been filled in, visitors have claimed to see the spirit of
Squire’s wife gliding through the castle with a scarlet lantern.
Courtesy of sunsets_for_you via Creative Commons.
Edison Birthplace Museum (Milan)
Built in 1841, the Edison Birthplace Museum has caused a few spine shivers for its unexplainable,
unidentifiable noises. Thomas Edison’s father Samuel supposedly believed in ghosts and
held a few séances there. Throughout the years, people have claimed to sense paranormal activity
and hear spooky noises in the house.
Courtesy
of Chris Light via Creative Commons.
Thurber House (Columbus)
Eerie noises weren’t considered strange at the Thurber House, where James Thurber grew up. Sounds of empty chairs scraping across the
floor, books falling off shelves, and footsteps running up stairs were common occurrences. In 1912, Thurber reportedly saw the ghost of a previous male tenant who, upon learning of
his wife’s infidelity, ran up the stairs and shot himself. Several families
later moved out of the house to escape the apparition, but Thurber immortalized his
encounter in The Night the Ghost Got In.
Brent Turner, courtesy of Thurber House.
